Thanet

Thanet's population grew in the decade leading up to the most recent census. At the same time there were changes in work life, religion and housing tenure.

The population passed 130,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Thanet increased by 5.9%, from just under 127,000 to 134,000.

The addition of just under 7,500 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Thanet was home to, on average, 9.3 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Thanet

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Thanet increased by two years, from 41 to 43 years.

This seaside area had a higher average age than the South East and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of almost 4,200 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 2,000.

About 13% of people in Thanet are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Thanet by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Thanet working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 14% to 9.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 30 (3.4%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 2.0% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 14% in 2001 to 11% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13% to 10%.

Long hour working in Thanet decreased by 4.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Thanet, the South East and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Thanet residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.2% to 1.6% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 2.7%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 0.8% in 2001 to 1.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Thanet remained close to 1.6%

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Thanet by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Thanet

The percentage of Thanet residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.9% to 4.9% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 6.7%, while the percentage of Thanet residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 89% to 88%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability in Thanet increased by 1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Thanet, the South East and England that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Thanet

The number of people in Thanet that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 20,000 in 2001 to about 38,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 16% to 29% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the South East (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Thanet that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 93,000 in 2001 to just over 82,000 in 2011 (from 74% to 61%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from about 11,000 to just over 9,900 (from 9.0% to 7.4%).

Just over 1,200 people (0.5%) said they were Muslim, up from just over 620 in 2001 (0.9%).

The population without a religion in Thanet increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Thanet by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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